01
Choose the name
Pick something short, easy to say and easy to spell. Say it out loud to someone and ask them to type it. If they get it wrong, try again. Our guide on how to choose a domain name has a full checklist.
01
How to buy a domain name step by step
To buy a domain name, search for it at a registrar, add the available extension to your cart, create an account, enter your registrant details and pay for the first year. After that you confirm your email address as ICANN requires and point the domain to your website or email. The whole process takes about ten minutes.
02
Six steps to buy a domain name
02
Search for it
Type the name into our search box. We check it across popular extensions and show each one as Available, Taken or Premium, with the first year price and the renewal price in the same row. Use the domain availability checker if you want to test several variants.
03
Pick the extension and add it to your cart
.com is the default for most businesses. Choose another extension if it fits your use, such as .io or .ai for software, .shop for a store or .org for a nonprofit. Check the renewal price as well as the first year. If your name is taken everywhere, read how to buy a taken domain.
04
Create your account at checkout
Enter your email and a password, then the 6 digit code we send you. Your cart stays saved during this step. See create a NameBest account.
05
Add registrant details and pay
Enter the details of the person or company that will own the domain: name, address, phone and email. Use details you will keep up to date, because they decide who controls the domain. Then pay for the first year. Auto renew is on by default, and you can switch it off for each domain later.
06
Verify your email and set up DNS
We send an ICANN verification link to the registrant email. Click it so the domain keeps working. Then point the domain where you need it: add records in the DNS editor, set custom nameservers for your host, or forward it to another address. Our help article on how to point a domain to a website shows the records most hosts ask for.
03
What to do after you buy a domain name
- Keep auto renew on for any domain you rely on
- Add MX records if you want email on the domain, see add MX records
- Leave the transfer lock on unless you are moving the domain
- Put the renewal date in your calendar even with auto renew on
- Keep the registrant email working, since reminders and verification go there
04
Common mistakes when buying a domain
- Looking only at the first year price and missing a much higher renewal
- Registering the domain in the name of a web designer instead of your own
- Using an email on the same domain as the registrant contact, which stops working if the domain lapses
- Forgetting registry rules, such as the 2 year minimum on .ai or the US nexus rule on .us
- Buying many extensions you will never use